Okenia cochimi
Gosliner and Bertsch, 2004

Order: NUDIBRANCHIA
Suborder: DORIDINA
Superfamily: ANADORIDOIDEA
Family: Goniodorididae

DISTRIBUTION

This species is known only from the Isla Cedros on Pacific coast of Baja California, from Isla Ballena near La Paz in the Gulf of California south to Bahía Ballena near Puerto Vallarta, México

PHOTO

Upper: Las Ballenas, Espiritu Santo Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico, July 1985. Photo: T. M. Gosliner.Lower: SEM of section of radula. Scale = 10 µm. [Photos from Gosliner & Bertsch, 2004 with permission].

The body color is a uniform lemon yellow. The animal is moderately elongate and there is a distinct mantle edge bearing between five and eight elongate lateral papillae, the anterior-most on each side being in front of the rhinophores. There are four simple gills and the rhinophores are elongate, about twice the length of the longest lateral papillae. The largest living animals reported only 2-4 mm in length. Nothing is known of its biology.

  • Gosliner, T. M. & Bertsch, H. (2004) Systematics of Okenia from the Pacific Coast of North America (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) with descriptions of three new species. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 55: 412-428, figs. 1-11.
Authorship details
Rudman, W.B., 2004 (December 21) Okenia cochimi Gosliner and Bertsch, 2004. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/okencoch